I created this dish as an evolution of my adaptation of my mom's original sweet potatoes recipe; she made hers with with caned crushed pineapple and miniature marshmallows. This is a slightly more elegant (read "hoity-toity) version of my original whipped sweet potato recipe, but I think this one is pretty nifty (although maybe a tad too sweet -- still working on it). My chef in class thought it was good, but "unusual". I think she meant "weird", but I like it!
Bake the sweet potatoes in a 350F oven for one hour. Carefully peel the potatoes, removing all traces of peel. Slice the sweet potatoes into 1/4" slices, reserving the largest diameter slices for the timbales, and reserving the rest for another use.
- 2 sweet potatoes or yams, 3-4" in diameter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, freshly ground if possible
- 2 whole cinnamon sticks
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1-1/2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 fresh Bosc pears, peeled and cored
- Chopped pecans
Combine 1-1/2 cups of the orange juice, the water, 1/4 cup of the brown sugar and the cinnamon sticks, and add the pears. Bring to a simmer and poach the pears for 20 minutes, or untli tender. Slice the pears into 1/4" slices.
Mix the cream, vanilla, 1/4 cup brown sugar, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and butter; scald the mixture. Make a slurry with 2 tablespoons of orange juice and the cornstarch. Add to the cream mixture, combine thoroughly, and heat the mixture over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Do not boil, or the cream will break. When thickened, remove from heat.
Butter a sheet pan or baking dish, and using 3" ring molds if available, begin to build the timbales. Place 1 slice of potato at the bottom of the mold and cover with a thin layer of sauce. Top with a pear slice, using the smaller slices from near the stem to fill the hole left by the core. Spread more sauce, then sprinkle with chopped pecans. Add another slice of sweet potato, pressing slightly into the pecans to help stabilize the timbale. Add another slice of pear, sauce, then pecans. Top with one last slice of potato, then add a generous amount of sauce so that some of it drips down the sides of the timbale. Sprinkle top with brown sugar, and then top with more chopped pecans. Repeat for each serving.
Heat the timbales in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through and the sugar is melted and glazed on top.
Makes about 4 timbales.
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